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Hanford council votes 5-0 to consider internal interim manager, hires outside firm for permanent city manager search
Summary
The Hanford City Council voted unanimously to open an internal process for appointing an interim city manager and separately approved hiring an outside recruitment firm to conduct a nationwide search for a permanent city manager after public comment urged transparency and professional outreach.
The Hanford City Council voted unanimously to pursue an internal candidate pool for an interim city manager and to hire an outside recruiting firm to conduct the search for a permanent city manager.
The council approved both actions by 5-0 votes. For the interim position the council directed Human Resources to solicit memoranda of interest from department heads (and consider other internal applicants) as a first step; if no suitable internal candidate is identified, the council left open the option to seek an outside interim. On a separate motion the council voted to retain a professional recruiting firm to perform a nationwide recruitment for the permanent city manager, with HR collaborating on job criteria and community engagement.
The decisions follow more than an hour of public comment in which residents urged both a transparent hiring process and a broad, professional search. Speakers repeatedly recommended using an outside firm to avoid perceived conflicts and improve transparency; others urged giving experienced city employees a chance to serve as interim manager to preserve continuity.
“We spent a lot of money on, lawyers for people that work for the city that can't, I guess, do their job right,” said William Harmon, a Hanford resident. “I’m pretty sure city manager means manage the city we have, not pursue roundabouts.” Several commenters urged vetting candidates who understand Hanford’s infrastructure and business needs. Chris Jordan, who said he served with the Hanford Police Department for 32 years and was elected Kings County Sheriff, told the council, “Integrity is important,” and recommended an outside search to avoid any appearance of interference.
Councilmembers described two distinct tasks: appointing a short-term interim to maintain daily operations and momentum, and conducting a separate, formal recruitment for a permanent manager. Several members said an internal interim could preserve continuity with department directors and ongoing projects; others emphasized that an outside recruitment firm would demonstrate transparency and reach a wider applicant pool. Council discussion also stressed community engagement—councilmembers asked residents to share priorities so HR and any retained firm could include them in the candidate profile.
Public commenters cited differing estimates for recruitment costs. Staff paperwork noted a possible fee range of $40,000 to $50,000; multiple speakers said they had found market estimates of $18,000 to $30,000 when researching outside searches. The council did not adopt a specific contract amount in the meeting; it directed staff to return with procurement steps and to work with HR on scope and criteria.
The council’s action on the interim position included an amendment to specify that department heads would be invited to submit memoranda of interest; councilmembers also said they would consider other qualified internal employees. The recruitment motion passed separately later in the meeting.
No closed-session actions were reported when the council returned to open session; staff said there were no reportable actions taken in closed session.
Next steps identified by council and staff: HR will circulate the memorandum-of-interest process internally (department heads prioritized), prepare a scope of work to solicit proposals from recruiting firms, and return to council with recommended procurement and timeline details. The council encouraged members of the public to contact their councilmember with input on desired qualifications and community engagement preferences.
Votes at a glance: Two council motions related to city manager staffing passed unanimously, 5-0—(1) move forward with an internal process (memoranda of interest to department heads and consideration of other internal applicants) for an interim city manager (motion amended to include department heads); (2) hire an outside recruiting firm to conduct a nationwide search for the permanent city manager.
